by Cathy Wurzer, Minnesota Public Radio

April 24, 2013

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Editor's note: This is our 12th report following University of St. Thomas professor Bruce Kramer as he copes with life after being diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The ancient discipline of yoga keeps attracting new followers. By some estimates, 15 to 20 million Americans now practice one of its many forms. Devotees say not only do the stretches and poses release their stiffness and stress, but they come away calmer and more centered after a session.

Yoga is not only for the able bodied. Matthew Sanford has been teaching what's known as adaptive yoga to people with disabilities since 2002 at his Minnetonka studio, Mind/Body Solutions, and at Courage Center in Minneapolis. Kramer, who now uses a motorized wheelchair as his body grows weaker with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, is one of his students. For the past few months, he says yoga has given him a greater sense of freedom.

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In a small conference room at the Courage Center in Golden Valley, the room was ringed recently with people ending their day -- most in wheelchairs. Some are on the floor, propped up with cushions and pillows. All, including Kramer, have their eyes closed, listening to Sanford.

"Balance your head over your neck. Soften the skin on your face. Close your eyes top to bottom. If you haven't, let go of your day. Prepare your mind to do yoga," he says. "On these next few breaths, imagine someone's pushing on the inner edge of your shoulder blade and you're exhaling from the back ribs forward. You're exhaling through your nose, if you can, so there's a release."

Like most of his students, Sanford is in a wheelchair. At the age of 13, he was in a horrible car accident that killed his father and sister and left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Read this article:
Living with ALS: Yoga reconnects a disconnected body